ONLINE EDITION!
PRINT
DIGITAL
EAT, DRINK & PLAY   -   ENTERTAINMENT
Citizen Shouting and City Listening
How to Get a New Skate Park and Stop a MRF
May, 2008 - Issue #43
Skate Park: Woes, Wins and Wads of Cash
Skate Park: Woes, Wins and Wads of Cash
A brave new breed of Santa Claritan has entered the political scene. They are loud, motivated, loud, persistent, and, well, loud. We've always had some people like this in the Valley - adamant PTA moms, defensive small business owners, outspoken politicos, Bruce McFarland - but in recent months, these motivated characters have multiplied in number and have been making their presence especially well known. Their well-placed, well-projected comments have done much to get this little City of ours moving in the desired (or demanded) direction.

Skate Park: Woes, Wins and Wads of Cash
In a move that would make cities with more modest financial resources faint, Santa Clarita's City Council agreed to "Direct staff to meet with representatives from the skate park community to develop a temporary skate park using above-ground equipment for an amount not to exceed $150,000." To state the obvious, that's a pretty serious sum for a temporary skate park.

If you haven't been following the issue, the City is in the midst of updating some of its park facilities. A new skate park is in the works; it will cover more than three times the area of the present facility, has been designed with input from community skaters, and represents a multi-million dollar investment on part of the City of Santa Clarita. Obviously, this sounds like a boon for those who live to skateboard. The downside is - or was - that construction of the new park would require demolishing the existing skate park.

After news of the planned closure broke, a huge influx of teens, their parents and other vocal Santa Claritans made their way to City Hall in February. They protested losing the skate park, even for the relatively short span of four months estimated by City Manager Ken Pulskamp. The City, it seems, listened. Indeed, by late March, the City of SC agreed to write the check for up to $150K to see skaters through four months of a skate-park-less valley. It's clear now that if people ask loudly and often enough, the City listens... and pays out.

Sending Trash to Antelope Valley
Sometimes Santa Claritans don't yell about what they want (uninterrupted access to skate parks or else) but about what they don't want. Take, for example, the innocuously-named "Materials Recycling Facility" formerly slated to be built along Sierra Highway. This is the area that's a sort of middle ground between Newhall and Canyon Country. Last I checked, recycling was still an acceptable activity, but apparently not when it happens on a massive scale next to residential neighborhoods. At least that's the cry we've heard loud and clear emanating from Santa Claritans in the area.


"Sometimes Santa Claritans don't yell about what they want but about what they DON'T WANT."

The typically mild-mannered Alan Ferdman of Canyon Country and a few dozen of his pals dusted off their bull-horns for this one, expressing outrage to anyone and everyone within earshot. We learned that there would be more than 800 trash-hauling trips on the road every day and heard fears over vermin, foul smells and fouler traffic. The backlash from the whole community was so strong that Burrtec - the company planning the facility - is backing down.

An acronym that popped up in the discussion was the now familiar "NIMBY." That's "not in my backyard," a moniker that serves as a convenient insult to throw at people who only oppose unsightly projects when they'll be directly affected by them. Fittingly, many opponents of the Materials Recycling Facility (which, incidentally, has its own acronym, MRF) were happy to volunteer sites in Antelope Valley to host the recycling plant. I'm not sure that NIMBYism is all bad, though. It shows that people care about their neighborhoods and quality of life.

Hearing the Message
In all the din, how does one make sure one's voice gets heard? The first rule is to not talk too often. Part of the reason the City was so responsive to skaters and the anti-MRF brigade was because they aren't the type to call City Hall offices every day complaining about minor issues. There are people like this and, from what I can tell, they eventually shout so much that their voices just get ignored. Happily, this means that people should only bother getting involved in community politics when it really matters. If I were writing The Art of War for SCV, I'd advise people to speak loudly, but infrequently. The second rule is to know when to let elected officials do the talking for us. With April's elections now decided, let's hope we have a Council willing to do this.

If I were one to idealize, I might say that the loud chorus of citizen demands and dialogue melded into a beautiful refrain embodying our glorious political process. It doesn't - people are usually self-important, self-entitled and self-righteous when trying to get what they want, but I heart this part of SCV politics
nonetheless.

Contact I.M. Claritan at iheartscv@insidescv.com.
EMAIL SIGNUP
- What is the sum of 7 + 8?
This is a required value
to protect against spam
community events
08
01
16
23
04
13